Skin graft applicator



Sept. 18, 1962 c. P. MEEK 3,054,404

SKIN GRAF'T APPLICATOR Filed Aug. 14, 1961 IN VEN TOR.

H TTOE/VE Y5 ijfiiifiei rates Fatenr 3,954,4d4 Patented Sept. 18, 1962fine 3,054,494 SKIN GRAFI APPLICATUR Cicero P. Meek, 105 Jackson Drive,Aiken, S.C. Filed Aug. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 131,434 4 Claims. (Cl.128-260) This invention relates to a skin graft applicator, a method ofmaking the same, and a method of applying a skin graft to a patient.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and meansfor applying skin graft material to a predetermined area on a patientwhereby the material is properly and efliciently distributed over thedesired area in sufficient quantity to effect growth of new skin on thepatient and employing only a minimum quantity of live skin from a donor.

According to applicants method a small quantity of live skin from adonor is cut into small squares or pieces of other shape and is mixedwith an appropriate carrier material to form a spreadable mixture. It isdesirable that this spreadable mixture be applied to the patients bodyin spaced, relatively small, quantities which start to grow and spreadto cover the entire area. Applicant employs an applicator meanscomprising a sheet of fiex ible material, preferably cloth, folded andpleated in such a manner that small discrete and normally spaced areason one face of the sheet are placed in contiguous relation. The skingraft material is then spread, in a thin layer, over the folded portionof the sheet to cover all of the discrete areas. The sheet is thenstretched to its unfolded condition, which separates the skin graftmaterial into relatively small but regularly spaced portions distributeduniformly over a face of the unfolded sheet. The applicator is thenapplied to the patients body with the spaced portions of skin graftmaterial innermost and the material is thus transferred to the areawhere the skin graft is desired. The sheet material may be left inposition and serve as a temporary bandage until the material has startedto grow and adheres to the patients tissues, after which it may beremoved and the area treated or rebandaged as desired.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a skingraft applicator and method of high efficiency and simplicity and whicheffects a proper and uniform distribution of skin graft material overthe desired area.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel applicator forachieving the objectives of the invention.

Still another object is to provide a novel method of making a skin graftapplicator embodying the present invention.

A further object is to provide a novel method of grafting skin over apredetermined area on a patients body.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilledin the art as the description proceeds with reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an applicator embodying the present invention,and ready for use;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the applicator of FIG. 1 in the early stages offolding the same to the desired condition, and;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged, sectional view through the applicatoras seen on any one of the lines 3-3 of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The drawings herein illustrate a preferred form of the inventionalthough, as will be pointed out, the applicator may be formed in otherways.

Referring first to FIG. 2, a sheet of suitable flexible material 2 isfolded to form two sets of parallel pleats, each set extendingtransversely of the other set. The

material is preferably cloth which may be easily and effectivelysterilized although the invention is not limited thereto and othersuitable flexible sheet materials may be found and employed.

In forming the applicator the sheet 2 is first folded in an obviousmanner to form a first pleat 4 extending thereacross and pressed snuglyagainst the upper face of the sheet 2. A second pleat 6 is then foldedin the material 2 in a direction transverse to the first pleat 4 andwhich includes the folds of the first pleat. As shown, the pleat 6extends at right angles to the pleat 4. This relationship is preferredalthough obviously the angular relationship need not be exactly asshown.

After the second pleat 6 is folded across the material, a third pleat 8is formed adjacent the first pleat 4 and parallel thereto, which pleatextends across the second pleat 6 and includes the layers thereof withinits folds. As shown, the second pleat 8 and subsequent pleats are foldedto lie on the same face of the sheet material 2 and to extend in thesame direction thereover. This relationship, however, is not essentialsince the pleat 8 (FIG. 3) could with equal facility be folded in theopposite direction to extend toward the pleat 4, if de-- sired, so longas it does not entirely cover the first pleat.

After the pleat 8 is formed, a fourth pleat 10 is folded paraliel andadjacent to the pleat 6 and extending across both pleats 4 and 8.Thereafter additional pleats are folded in the same manner, alternatingin parallelism to first pleat 4 and second pleat 6, until the structureof FIG. 1 is produced. Obviously, the number of pleats and size of thesheet material 2 may be any value desired to give a cross-pleated areaof the desired size.

As is obvious from FIGS. 1 and 3, the cross-pleated area of the sheet 2exposes only discrete and contiguous area portions 12 of the uppersurface of original sheet 2. The pleats having been formed at rightangles and alternately and in a sense interlock with each other whichprevents inadvertent or accidental unfolding, whereby the structureremains in the form shown in FIG. 1 until forcibly stretched to extendedposition. It is preferred that the pleats be permanently creased, as bypressing with a hot iron.

By reference to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the small discrete surfaceportions 12 are uniformly and evenly distributed over the surface ofsheet 2 when the latter is stretched to its unfolded condition. Thesurface portions 12 are spaced apart when the sheet is stretched but arecontiguous when cross-pleated, as in FIG. 1.

In use, a previously prepared skin graft material, comprising smallparticles of donor skin and a suitable carrier is spread over thecross-pleated area of the applicator of FIG. 1 to completely cover thesame and thereby cover each of the areas 12. Thereafter, the appliactoris stretched to the unfolded condition of FIG. 2 whereupon the layer ofskin graft material is separated into small rectangular portions, eachcovering one of the areas 12, which effects a uniform distribution ofthe material over the applicator sheet and enables a skin graft to bemade over a much larger area than encompassed by the cross-pleatedportion of FIG. 1.

Finally, the applicator is applied to the patients body in the mannerpreviously set forth to place the skin graft material in proper positionagainst the patients tissues to adhere thereto and to grow and form newskin.

The alternate cross-pleating described with reference to FIG. 1 is, asstated, the preferred method of forming the applicator. However, allpleats of one set may be initially formed in the set and thereafter thesheet may be folded to form all of the pleats of the second setextending transversely thereto. Such an applicator may be used in thesame manner and with the same results employed without departing fromthe scope of applicants' invention.

While a limited number of specific embodiments of the invention aredescribed herein, the same are merely illustrative and other forms maybe resorted to Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A skin graft applicator comprising; a sheet of flex- I ible materialfolded and creased to define two sets of parallel pleats; said sets ofpleats extending transversely to each other whereby to expose onlyspaced discrete portions of a face of said flexible material, saidportions being in contiguous relation when said sheet is pleated asdescribed; the layers of material comprising said pleats being free ofsecurement to each other whereby said pleated sheet may be pulled tounpleated flat condition wherein said discrete portions are spaced apartin noncontiguous relation.

2. 'A skin graft applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein the pleats ofat least one set include Within their folds the overlying layers ofmaterial defining pleats of the other set, whereby the pleats of saidsets are temporarily interlocked to prevent inadvertent unfoldingthereof.

' 3. The method of forming a skin graft applicator, comprising the stepsof: folding a sheet of flexible material to form a first pleatthereacross; folding a second pleat across said material, transverse tosaid first pleat,

extending thereacross and including the layers of said first pleat inits folds; folding a third pleat across said material, adjacent andparallel to said first pleat and extending across said second pleat;folding a fourth pleat across said material adjacent and parallel tosaid second pleat and extending across said first'and third'pleats; andfolding additional pleats in said material, alternately parallel to saidfirst and second pleats, respectively until a desired area of pleatedmaterial is formed.

4. The method of applying a skin graft, comprising the steps of: foldinga sheet of material to position normally spaced discrete surfaceportions of one face thereof in contiguous relation; spreading a layerof skin graft material, comprising small particles of donor skin, onsaid contiguous surface portions; unfolding said sheet of material toseparate said surface portions whereby the skin graft material thereonis separated into spaced portions on one face of said unfolded sheet;and applying said one face against a donees body to thereby transfersaid spaced portions of skin graft material to said donee.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ReeseJan. 22, 1952 Glickman Aug. 30, 1955 OTHER REFERENCES

